"Pieces of the Island"-An English Translation

Raúl González

Niurcy Acosta Pacheco and Raúl González, dissidents and members of the Cuban Reflection Movement (MCR) in Vueltas, Villa Clara, denounced this past 1st of May 2013 that they had been violently arrested by the political police for not accepting their home as dungeons after receiving strict orders from the repressive apparatus to not step out.

Acosta and Pacheco sent photos of the situation and denounced the physical blows they received, but now they have finally been able to send the video of that violent moment. It has been published on the YouTube channel “CubanDemocratic“.

In it, one can clearly see how uniformed officials of the regime arrest the dissident couple, aggressively twisting their necks and arms, throwing them on the floor and keeping them in headlocks until more police vehicles arrive to take them to a unit. The crime? Not accepting their home as a prison and stepping out of their door while the State carried out events for the 1st of May (“May Day” or “International Worker’s Day”), when the regime orders citizens to participate in marches which serve as official propaganda which promote Cuba as a place where worker’s rights are respected.

The violence occurred in front of the couple’s 11 year old son, Daniel, who was the one who filmed everything while on top of his home’s roof.

Recently, Raul Gonzalez responded to a discourse by dictator Raul Castro in regards to the morality of the Cuban people. “Of what principles, values and morals are you talking about if you do not possess any?“, wrote Gonzalez in a message which he later reproduced onto pamphlets which were handed out to locals, “The social indiscipline is only the fault of you all (the government), with your acts of repudiation against peaceful citizens who only demand respect for human rights. That’s called double moral. Do not blame the people anymore…Raul and Fidel Castro are the culprits of this disaster!”

For writing things such as this and carrying out similar activities, Gonzalez, Acosta, and other members of the MCR (as well as the opposition in general) face police repression; repression such as the one caught on this video which serves as a living testimony of what goes on in today’s Cuba.

Police agents in the municipality of Vueltas, Villa Clara province, repressed various citizens during the activities of this past First of May.

Among those attacked were dissident couple Raul Gonzalez and Niurcy Acosta Pacheco, members of the Cuban Reflection Movement (MCR) who were surrounded in their own home by the agents and kept from stepping out. When they finally made it out, they were violently arrested

Raul Gonzalez sent the following photos via his cell phone:

Gonzalez accompanied the images with the following text:

“That’s how the first of May was celebrated, with such a ‘democratic’ act, here in our municipality. They prohibited us from leaving our homes. And then they said they didn’t want arrests. Long live FREEDOM and DEMOCRACY! Raul and Niurcy (MCR)”

Three different cases of acts of repudiation, acts of vandalism, and arrests were recently reported in different parts of Cuba. These actions not only affected the targeted dissidents, but also their relatives, leaving scars especially on those who are underage. These crimes, executed by the political police, are nothing new in totalitarian Cuba, but in this post, we document 3 new cases. Vueltas, San German, Palma Soriano. Three different towns and three similar actions against activists of diverse pro-freedom groups.

Friday, March 8th, 2013. Vueltas, Villa Clara. Raúl González and Niurcy Acosta Pacheco, a couple belonging to the dissident Cuban Reflection Movement, dropped off their 11 year old son, Daniel David, at a friend’s house to celebrate his birthday. The last thing they expected that afternoon was that Daniel would be arrested for being present at a party.

González, in conversation with“Radio Republica”, said that during the party the children started to play with fireworks, among them those known as “small bombs”. It was then that the Chief of Sector of Vueltas, whose last name is Mesa, showed up to the house, snatching the ‘toys’ away from all the children and sending them home- all of them except Daniel, who he forcefully took to the local National Revolutionary Police unit. Mesa told the young boy that his friends were waiting for him in the mentioned unit, but it was just blackmail.

The child told the official that he did not have to be in that place. Mesa’s response, as well as that of other functionaries, was to threaten Daniel with being handcuffed.

Daniel was detained for a little more than two hours. “At about 10:30 PM he was left outside and told to go back home on his own”, denounced his father in the same audio. A friendly neighbor recognized the child and helped him get back home. His parents, Raul and Niurcy, presented complaints in different institutions but have received no response.

“We know very well that this is just a method [of State Security] to try and destabilize the kid, and at the same time, us”, said Raul Gonzalez.

Monday, March 11th, 2013. San German, Holguín.At about 1 AM, the home of the sister of activist Eliecer Palma Pupo, of the Eastern Democratic Alliance, was stoned by various unidentified people who ran away after committing the acts of vandalism. The activist’s mother and sister were inside the house, and so was his 6 year old daughter.

This was not the first time the house, where Eliecer spends much of his time, is attacked with rocks. According to another audio of ‘Radio Republica’, one of the cases the activist recalls was in 2011, and during the current year of 2013, he has received numerous threats from State Security, especially the agent who goes by the name of Julian, who told him he’d take take repressive measures against him because of his activism. This is why Palma Pupo assures that the actions were carried out by the regime.

Afterward, the dissident explained to this blog that “one of the rocks penetrated a window, broke the blinds, and landed very close to my daughter. This has left her very afraid“.

Eliecer and his sister went to the PNR unit of San German to formally present a complaint. Up to the moment, the authorities have ignored their demand.

Saturday, March 9th, 2013. Palma Soriano, Santiago de Cuba. Of the three cases, the most violent. Jose Ramos Corrales, member of the Patriotic Union of Cuba (UNPACU) made a call of desperation and condemnation after his home, located in the neighborhood of Nuevo Palma, was surrounded by mobs organized by the political police. The members of the hate mob were armed with stones, bottles, sticks and machetes and challenged the dissident and his family to step outside so that they “could kill them”.

In audios published on the YouTube channel of UNPACU and ‘Radio Republica’, Ramos recounted that his 10 year old daughter was inside the house, hearing all the vulgar insults being shouted and witnessing all the acts of violence.

Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia, leader of UNPACU, said in his Twitter account (@jdanielferrer) that the mobs “tore down the fence and the wall [of Ramos’ home], they stole their furniture, clothes, a kitchen stove and even a small car to sell pizzas” that they had inside.

“The entire operation against the Ramos-Marrero family was directed by the Communist Party and the agents of its political police”, added another message by Ferrer.

Meanwhile, Ramos was violently arrested during the raid and he was kept in a cell until Monday, just to find his house surrounded once again for another act of repudiation. The same mobs once again threatened him and his family with death.

Ramos expressed the most worry for his young daughter, denouncing that he has had to take her to a mental health doctor to try and calm her nerves.

The video of this repudiation, and the moment of desperation faced by the young girl, was captured on video and published by UNPACU. See for yourselves:

Minutes before 2012 came to an end, members of the Cuban Reflection Movement (MCR) met in the ‘La Libertad’ Park in the town of Vuelta, in Camajuani, Villa Clara, to carry out a protest demanding freedom for Cuba. The following day- the first of 2013- these activists took it upon themselves to carry out a peaceful march while they carried signs with pro-freedom messages. Both civic actions occurred without arrests and were well-received by everyday citizens.

Maydelis Gonzalez Almeida, member of the MCR, said that the first protest was carried out by 5 dissidents, who were (besides her) Niurcy Acosta Pacheco, Raúl González, Nosbel Jomorca and Juan Carlos Fernández.

“We held up a sign in ‘La Libertad’ Park, with a message demanding freedom and democracy for Cuba in 2013“, recounted the dissident, “We were there for various minutes in that centric area and a number of citizens stopped by and read our sign. It was a very positive thing”.

For the first of January, the same group of activists, along with 3 minors who wished to participate in the demonstration (Sumely Santana González, Juliani Santana González and Daniel David Santana González) took to the streets of the same town of Vuelta and carried out a peaceful march.

Gonzalez Almeida says that they “walked for various blocks with a sign which read: ‘There is no such thing as the triumph of the revolution if there is no freedom and no democracy’. We walked through a very busy area of Vuelta. In fact, we even walked past the police unit of the town while carrying the sign“.

After some minutes, the march culminated without arrests or other repressive actions at the home of Niurcy Acosta.

Protest of MCR in Camajuani, Villa Clara. 01/01/13

“I feel that we have won a significant space because the people were staring at us, they were observing us, but at no point in time did they react negatively to us. We achieved our march“, expressed Maydelis, “We always have to say the good things that are happening, as well… we feel very happy because we feel we are gaining even more space here in Cuba“.

With this positive momentum, the dissident is of the opinion that very soon “the old dream of so many Cubans in and out of Cuba can be achieved: freedom“.

“But to get there, we have to all be united, despite the way we think. We must come together through love, truth, and democracy. And, like that, we will continue in the struggle“.

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For more information from Cuba:

Maydelis González Almeida – Cell Phone: +5358-217-833

*Photos courtesy of Maydelis González Almeida. Please excuse the low image quality. Due to internet and other technology restrictions in Cuba, the photos were sent out through a cell phone.